Winterhawks fans got a much more suspenseful game than expected on Friday, as Portland headed into its contest with the Kootenay Ice equipped with the WHL’s best record, while Kootenay had one of the league’s worst. The Ice played well above their record, however, and were either tied or in the lead for most of the game.
Winterhawks fans got a much more suspenseful game than expected on Friday, as Portland headed into its contest with the Kootenay Ice equipped with the WHL’s best record, while Kootenay had one of the league’s worst. The Ice played well above their record, however, and were either tied or in the lead for most of the game.
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On the attack: The Winterhawks continued their hot play against Kootenay over the weekend.
Portland opened up the scoring in the first period on a goal by left wing Paul Bittner. Despite virtually constant pressure by the Hawks, Kootenay managed to keep the game within reach. Much of the credit goes to goalie Wyatt Hoflin, who stopped 45 of 48 shots sent his way. Early in the second, Kootenay’s Levi Cable scored to tie the game, and after Hoflin endured an onslaught of shots by Portland (particularly from Ty Rattie), the opportunistic Ice took the lead midway through the second on a goal by Kyle O’Connor. An upset seemed to be brewing.
The Winterhawks continued to control possession and find open shots, and Hoflin continued to deny them. But no one in the WHL this year has been able to stop the Hawks’ attack, and something had to give. With about eight minutes left, center Nicolas Petan scored to tie the game. Then, with less than four minutes remaining, a scuffle broke out in which two Kootenay players and one Winterhawk were sent to the box for roughing. With a 4-on-3 advantage, Petan scored again to take the lead, and Brendan Leipsic added an empty net goal in the closing seconds to secure the 4-2 victory.
With the NHL lockout weighing heavily on the hearts of hockey fans, the Winterhawks have been a satisfactory alternative to say the least. Thousands of fans arrive for each home game to witness a dominant team with an exciting style of play. Petan, Rattie and Leipsic are among the WHL’s leading scorers, and Mac Carruth has been the league’s best goalie by a wide margin. Defenseman Seth Jones, son of former NBA player and current Brooklyn Nets assistant coach Ronald “Popeye” Jones, was recently ranked as one of the WHL’s top prospects by NHL central scouting.
These young players have the skills to follow in the footsteps of former Winterhawks, including Marian Hossa and Cam Neely, on their path to the pros. We may not have the NHL right now, but if you have yet to take in a Winterhawks game, you might be surprised by the talent level of these (mostly) teenagers. The next opportunity to catch the action will be Friday at the Rose Garden, when the Winterhawks face the Seattle Thunderbirds in a battle royale of fictional winged creatures.
